On Saturday, November 7, 2015, the World
Health Organization declared the Ebola Virus Disease crisis OVER in Sierra
Leone. We can say, “bye-bye Ebola”… The first confirmed case of Ebola was
diagnosed in Sierra Leone on May 26th 2014. After 18-months of
living under the shadow of Ebola… the country is tired, relieved and elated.
The declaration, “Ebola-free”, was
celebrated in many ways… One of the most memorable took place on Friday evening
as groups of civil society organizations held a candlelit march along the main
business street in Freetown. The march culminated under the giant, historic
“cotton tree” in the centre of Freetown and, among other activities, a list of
221 names of healthcare workers who’d died was read before the hushed masses. Those
same hushed masses later erupted in jubilation when an MC counted down the
seconds to mark midnight – and the official “day of declaration” – November 7.
(117) I’ll come back to the significance/coincidence of this pattern of numbers.
Amidst the crowd, there were nurses,
survivors, NGO workers, military personnel, International aid workers, journalists, funders, kids,
teens and adults… who all survived the Ebola crisis in one way or another. I
should add… the theme colour for the procession was YELLOW, recognizing the
Yellow Ribbon campaign to End Ebola that the Sierra Leone Association of
Journalists initiated (and I was an integral part of) way back in February
2015. It was a sea of yellow ribbons/shirts, candles, tired tears and jubilant
hoopla. And, I’ll admit, I felt tingles of excitement and a welling of tears
several times during the march and presentations.
After several speeches, a song from a young
survivor and thanks – all round – the morning ended with the playing of the
national anthem. It was nowhere near as emotional as the candlelight vigil but
I felt the tingles raise the hair on the back of my neck as the declaration was
made.
Throughout the ceremony, special attention
was given to the healthcare workers and doctors who’d lost their lives to the
Ebola virus. Survivors took centre stage as well and were recognized by all
presenters, including the President.
The
numbers - In Sierra Leone, more than 3,900 people
died and there were more than 14,000 cases confirmed. Over the past 18 months,
across the most-affected countries in West Africa, according to the World
Health Organization, 11,314 people have died. And, 28,607 cases have been
confirmed. Most experts agree these numbers are grossly under-estimated.
November
7 – 11/7. Over the course of the disease
progression, the phone code 117 was used as an emergency telephone number to
report sickness, death, suspected deaths, cases, etc. It was used to summon
ambulances, aid and contact tracers. After months of initial failure, this 117
hotline became symbolic of help… and sometimes became the butt of
tension-relieving jokes.
“Got a problem – call 117.”
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